Evo-chromo: towards an integrative approach of chromatin dynamics across eukaryotes – November 2018

Evo-chromo: towards an integrative approach of chromatin dynamics across eukaryotes

Organisers: Frederic Berger and Ines Anna Drinnenberg

Date: 4 - 7 November 2018

Location: Wiston House, UK

EVO-DEVO has provided deep changes in our understanding of developmental mechanisms and widened the scope of the diversity of solutions found by distinct groups of organisms to control embryogenesis and differentiation. Although the field of epigenetics and chromatin revolutionized our understanding of biology in the past decade, most studies have been confined to a few model organisms, while evolutionary considerations have been largely left aside. Yet, recent forays into the biology of non-model organisms are revealing an unexpected diversity of chromatin and epigenetic regulation. With the rapid expansion of newly sequenced genomes it is now time to combine the expertise in molecular evolution and chromatin biology. This workshop will explore the following new fields of research;

1. Expansion of genomic and proteomic data mining to reconstruct the evolutionary trajectories of chromatin composition and regulation
2. New tools to access and combine the extensive genomic data in a large range of organisms for comparative genomics
3. Impact of chromatin on Genome dynamics
4. New experimental tools and model systems to explore the diversity of chromatin
5. The reciprocal impacts between chromatin dynamics and evolution of genome architecture

This is the first proposal of its kind integrating skills and interests of the fields of chromatin biology and evolutionary biology. The major objective of this workshop is to foster the initiation of a new field of biology that associates molecular phylogeny, genomics, genetics and structural biology applied to chromatin and genome regulation studies. This workshop will combine the expertise of these fields to comprehend the global picture of chromatin dynamics across evolution.

We anticipate that the development of EVO-CHROMO will have a deep impact in biology.
1) It will promote development of new model organisms to fill the gaps in the current representation of existing biological diversity.
2) New insights in chromatin biology and genome structure will be obtained.
3) Exploration of the interdependency between phylogenetics, chromatin composition and genome architecture is expected to lead to new concepts in evolution.

Early-career researchers

This Workshop is now full.

We offer around 10 funded places for early-career researchers to attend our Workshops along with the 20 speakers. We just ask that you pay for your own travel costs. If you would like to attend please complete the application form and attach a one page CV and a letter of support from your supervisor.

All attendees are expected to actively contribute to the Workshops by asking questions at presentation sessions and taking part in discussions.

At some Workshops, early career scientists are given additional responsibilities to promote their involvement, such as:

Summarise the previous day’s themes to set the scene for the next day’s sessions

Present a poster on their research interests

Propose future directions and collaborations

Give a short talk on their research

Make a short 2 minute video on their experience at the
Workshop

Most of these activities would be carried out in pairs or small
groups and often with the support of more senior scientists present.

About Wiston House

The Workshops will be held at the beautiful Wiston House, which is a 16th century Grade I listed building located at the foot of the South Downs in West Sussex. The house is surrounded by over 6,000 acres of parkland with magnificent views from the mile-long drive.

Wiston House is the home of Wilton Park, one of the world’s leading centres for the discussion of key international policy issues. Wilton Park was created in 1946 to help re-establish peace and democracy in Europe as part of an initiative inspired by Winston Churchill. Wiston House has an amazing history and appears in the Domesday Book, the register of English possessions made by William the Conqueror in 1086, 20 years after he won the Battle of Hastings.

Wiston House is 32 miles from Gatwick Airport and 60 miles from Heathrow Airport. The nearest train station is Shoreham-by-Sea, which is a 20 minute taxi ride from Wiston House and takes 1 hour 10 minutes from London Victoria.

About our Workshops

The Company of Biologists is widely known for its excellence in scientific publishing and it now runs a successful high level series of Workshops. The Workshops provide leading experts and early career scientists from a diverse range of scientific backgrounds with a stimulating environment for the cross fertilization of interdisciplinary ideas. The programmes are carefully developed and are intended to champion the novel techniques and innovations that will underpin important scientific advances.

About our Journal Meetings

The teams behind our journals bring you the most relevant and challenging topics for discussion through a series of international meetings.

Important meetings serving the communities around our journals.

Each meeting is individually crafted to suit the topic and audience, ranging from small intimate meetings with a focus on intense and detailed discussion to larger meetings with a focus on networking and opportunities for attendees to more widely share their latest research.

Themes explored in the Journal Meetings go on to be discussed in the Company’s journals, helping to shape the field and even the journals themselves.

Propose a new Workshop

If you have a vision for such a meeting but don’t have the time to arrange the logistics or raise the funding, then please contact us. We are seeking proposals for future Workshops and provide all necessary support.

We want to make our website, and the services we provide, useful and reliable. This sometimes involves placing small amounts of information called cookies on the device you used to access the internet. If you continue to use this website we will assume you are happy to accept our cookies.